Unplugging USB - What it won't do
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WUSB aims to provide the same usability as its predecessor, wired USB. With wired USB, you can clearly see if you hooked it up correctly; if the two ends are plugged in, you’re good to go. With a wireless configuration, other than at the software level, there is no way to tell whether or not the device is connected properly. Alongside embedded solutions, there will be add-in cards as well as dongles. The dongle will serve as backwards compatibility for wired USB. These aftermarket solutions for WUSB could take away from the wireless effect. Needing to connect wired dongles to access wireless devices might defeat the purpose for many people. People don’t want to fuss with still plugging in cables and cords to access wireless communications.
Wireless USB will not replace the need for wireless networks. Wireless USB will take the wireless ideas of Bluetooth and the functionality of USB and combine them. There will still be a need for 802.11 because of the range limitations of WUSB. The wireless network will serve as the backbone of the “wireless home,” providing access throughout the whole house.
The reason why 802.11 could not be used instead of WUSB is because 802.11 is not optimized for use in environments with the need for multiple high-bandwidth streams. Wireless networks would work great if all you needed was to transfer files between different computers. When operating multiple clusters, 802.11 would give one cluster all it needs, while constraining the others. WUSB will have limited range to allow the different clusters to use the same radio channel and not interfere with each other. This is what allows the versatility of WUSB to be used in different clusters.
Next: Tentative specifications >>
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